Folding box or carton to enclose a small article



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July 31, 1962 D. H. ETLINGER 3,047,203

FOLDING BOX OR CARTON TO ENCLOSE A SMALL ARTICLE Filed Jan. 25, 1962 sin United States Patent New Jersey Filed Jan. 25, 1962, Ser. No. 168,604 Claims. (Cl. 229-39) This invention relates to a one-piece folding box or carton structure adapted, when expanded, and closed, to enclose a small article which, as packaged thereby, is desired to be sold from a dealers shelf. The box or carton must be large enough to be easily observed on the dealers shelf, and subject to easy handling for removal from the shelf, and service to a purchaser.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a folding box or carton, which can be expanded from an initial collapsed condition to provide a container which is made considerably larger in size than is the size of the small article to be enclosed therein. Since said ar ticle is small, it is a further object of this invention to provide the box or carton with a novel interior construction adapted, when the box or carton is expanded, to furnish means for holding the article immovable with: in the large interior of the box or carton against undesirable free movement therein, while, at the same time, cushioning the enclosed article against shock and possible injury during commercial handling of the packaged article.

Another object of this invention is to provide the box or carton with an article supporting structure which is integral with the box or carton body, and which, when the box or carton is expanded, forms within the interior of the same, and adjacent to an end thereof, a socket or pocket to receive the article, and cooperative means to support the article against longitudinal displacement relative to said socket or pocket.

The above stated and other objects will become appar ent from a reading of the following description of an illustrative embodiment of this invention in'connection with the accompanying drawings thereof in which drawings:

FIG; 1 is a plan view of the blank from which the folding box or carton, according to this invention, is

formed.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the box or carton, as formed from said blank, in collapsed condition.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the box or carton, as formed from said blank, in expanded oondition.

FIG. 4 is an elevational View of the expanded box or carton, with its end closure portions open; and FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the same, with its end closure portions closed.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken on line 66 in FIG. 5, showing an enclosed small article in place.

Like characters of reference are applied in the above described views of the box or carton'of this invention, to indicate corresponding parts thereof.

Referring first to FIG. 1, which shows the blank from which the box or carton of this invention is formed, the respective reference characters 10, 11, 12 and 13 indicate respective side wall panels of the box or carton, the same being separated and defined by respective intermediate folding scores 14, 15 and 16. Projecting from respective ends of the side wall panel are in-foldable end closure flaps 17, which are separated from this side wall panel by folding scores 18. Similarly, projecting from respective ends of the opposite side wall panel 12 are in-foldable end closure flaps 19 separated therefrom by folding scores 20. One of said closure flaps 19,

, 2 which projects from the internal end portion of the expanded box or carton in which a contained small article is to be lodged, is provided with a tuck flap 21 separated therefrom by a folding score 22. Projecting from the respective ends of the side wall panel 13 are in-foldable end wall members 23, separated therefrom by folding scores 24. Each end wall member 23 is provided with an outwardly extending tuck section 25, separated therefrom by a folding score 26. Extending laterally outward from the outer margins of the side wall panel 10 and of the side wall panel 13, and separated therefrom by folding scores 27, are respective in-foldable sections 28, face surfaces of which are adapted to receive a coating 29 of a suitable adhesive. Extending from said respective sections 28 along end portions thereof, are partition members 30, which are each divided by scores 31 and 32 to define article socket or pocket walls 33 and 34. Also extending from said respective sections 28, along opposite end portions thereof, are stop members 35, which are spaced apart from the partition members 30, and are of less length than the lengths of the latter.

' To fold the blank into a box or carton formation, the sections 28, together with the partition members 30 and stop members 35, are inturned about the scores 27 and Thereafter, the side wall behind the side wall panels. panels 12 and 13 are folded over relative to the side wall panels 11 and 10, thus disposing the respective sec tions 28 and their partition members 30 and stop members 35 between the thus folded side wall panels and into contiguous face to face relation, with the opposed sections 28 joined together by their adhesive coated faces. By this manipulation, the box or carton is formed in an initial collapsed condition (see FIG. 2 with the end closure elements extending from the side wall panels.

To prepare the box or carton for use, the same is expanded from its initial collapsed condition so as to bring its side wall panels into right angular relation one to another, thus squaring the box or carton body' (see FIG. 3). This is done by moving the joined margins of the side wall panels 10 and 13 toward the joined margins of the side wall panels 11 and 12. As this occurs, the contiguous partition members 30 and stop members 35 are caused to be disposed diagonally across the box or carton interiorbetween said corners which are formed by the joined margins of the side wall panels 10 and 13 and the opposite joined margins ofthe side wall panels 11 and 12. It will be noted that the stop members 35 correspond in length to the distance between the aforesaid corners of the box or carton body interior, whereas the partition members 30 are of length in excess of said distance. As a consequence of this, when the free ends of the partition member 30 abut and lodge in the corner of the. box or carton body interior, which is formed by the juncture of the said wall panels 11 and 12, lengthwise directed pressure is exerted upon said partition members 30, thereby causing the same to expand laterally respectively in opposite directions, and thus swinging outwardly their socket or pocket walls 33 and 34 about the scores 31 and 32 into relative angular relationship. Due to such movements, said socket or pocket walls are relatively disposed to form an endwise open article receiving socket or pocket P, which is axially disposed within one end portion of the box or carton body interior, beneath and across the inner open end of which extends the contiguous stop members 35 (see FIGS. 3 and 6).

In the use of the box or carton, a small article A contained therein (such e.g. as a small electronic device),

against the contiguous stop members 35, which intersect the inner open end of the socket or pocket (see FIG. 6). The inserted article A is firmly supported and cushioned by the walls of the socket or pocket against lateral movement or displacement. Before or after the article is thus immovably housed within the box or carton interior, an open end of the box or carton, which is adjacent to the stop members 35, can be closed by inturuing the closure flaps 17 and 19 at such end, and then closing the associated end wall panel 23 which can be held closed by inserting its tuck section 25 into the box or carton interior. In like manner, after the article A is entered into the socket or pocket P, the open end of the box or carton, which is opposed to the socket or pocket, can be closed by intwining closure flaps 17 and 19 at this end, and then closing the associated end wall panel 23, which can be held closed by inserting its tuck section 25 into the box or carton interior. Desirably, one of the side flaps at this end of the box or carton, e.g. flap 19, is provided with a tuck flap 21 which can be inserted into the box or carton body interior between a side wall panel thereof and the socket or pocket P, thus further reenforcing the article receiving end of the box or carton, and also cushioning the socket or pocket P against accidental deformation from its article holding condition.

From the above, it will now be apparent that the novel box or carton formation is well adapted to enclose and immovably hold a small article within the relatively large interior of the box or carton, thus providing a container for such small article that can be easily observed when stored upon a dealers shelf, and easily withdrawn from said shelf for service to a purchaser.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A carton adapted to contain and immovably support a small article within its relatively large interior comprising side walls disposed in right angular relation one to another, thereby to provide a body of rectangular cross-section, partition means within one end portion of said body disposed to extend diagonally across its interior between opposite corners thereof, said partition means including angularly related walls to provide an endwise open pocket to receive the small article, stop means within the opposite end portion of said body also disposed to extend diagonally across its interior between opposite corners thereof and so as to intersect an inner open end of said pocket, and means to close the ends of the carton body.

2. A carton adapted to contain and immovably support a small article within its relatively large interior comprising side walls disposed in right angular relation one to another, thereby to provide an open ended body of rectangular cross-section, coupling sections projecting into the body interior from a corner thereof formed by 55 the juncture of certain side walls thereof, said sections being adhesively joined together in face to face relation, partition members extending from each said section adjacent to one open end of the body and disposed to extend therefrom diagonally across the body interior from the aforesaid corner to the opposite corner thereof, said partition members including angularly related walls, to provide an endwise open pocket to receive the small article, stop members also extending from each said section in contiguous relation diagonally across the body interior and across the inner open end of said pocket, and means to close the ends of the carton body.

3. A carton of the expandible folding type adapted, when expanded from an initially collapsed condition for use, to contain and immovably support a small article within its relatively large interior, said carton comprising side wall panels, pairs of which are adapted to be initially folded one pair over the other, unconnected side wall panels being provided with coupling sections extending from free side margins thereof and inturned therefrom to lie intermediate the same in initial face to face relation, meeting faces of said coupling sections being adhesively secured together, thus joining the side wall panels in carton body forming relation, partition members extending from each coupling section adjacent to one open end of said carton body, said partition being of a length exceeding the diagonal distance between corners of the carton body interior when it is expanded, said partition members each being scored to define article pocket forming walls which are adapted to be expanded to an endwise open pocket formation by lengthwise directed pressure upon said partition members during expansion of the carton body, stop members also extending from each coupling section in contiguous relation, said stop members being of a length substantially equivalent to the diagonal distance between corners of the carton body when it is expanded, whereby to underlie an inner open end of the pocket formed by said partition members, and means to close the open ends of the expanded carton body.

4. In a carton according to claim 3, wherein the means to close the open ends of the expanded carton body include end wall panels having tuck sections to enter the open ends of said carton body.

5. In a carton according to claim 3, wherein the means to close the open ends of the expanded carton body comprise closure flaps extending from opposite side wall panels, and end wall panels extending from an intermediate side wall panel, said end wall panels having tuck sections to enter open ends of the carton body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,850,329 Metzger Mar. 22, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS 258,925 Great Britain Sept. 24, 1926 

